Yep , it may be good for consumers of some fine European cheeses , as prices will hopefully come down some.
But on the whole , it's a bad deal for Canadian cheese producers , artisan and commercial alike , I don't see why we aren't encouraging more small cheesemakers in this country.
And it's very good for pork and beef producers.
Basically , Harper is forfeiting cheese tariffs so the E.U. will allow us to export more meat into their country , the sad thing is , on the cheese front , the E.U. already exports about 1000 times as much cheese to Canada as Canada sends to the E.U.
On top of that , our laws governing artisan cheese makers are much more rigorous here in Canada , making it even harder to compete in an already unfair trade situation.
As for labeling laws , only the town of Gouda and surrounding area can legally call their cheese "Gouda" , still , I don't see the need to call a copy of it "Gouda-style" , how about something like "Canadian Gouda" , that would remove any doubt as to where it was made , and would also convey the style of cheese.
I guess the lawyers will figure that one out.
I guess we'll see what happens , but it will hurt Canadian cheese at least temporarily , if and when it goes into effect.